CHICAGO — Rookie Sal Stewart homered for the third straight game to help offset two more home runs by Pete Crow-Armstrong, and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs 7-5 on Sunday night after rain delayed the start 25 minutes.
Dane Myers hit a go-ahead homer off Shoto Imanaga (8-10) leading off the fifth inning and Tyler Stephenson followed with a two-run shot after a single by Elly De La Cruz for a 6-3 lead. De La Cruz left after that with left quad tightness.
Stewart homered for the 31st time — off Trent Thornton — for the Reds’ final run in the seventh.
Crow-Armstrong homered leading off the first against Chase Burns (15-3) to give the Cubs the lead. It his fourth in seven at-bats after hitting three Saturday in a 17-5 victory over the Reds. The NL’s MVP front-runner hit his 38th homer — a solo shot off Reds closer Emilio Pagán in the ninth before the right-hander finished off his 19th save.
Burns allowed three runs — two earned — on six hits in 5 2/3 innings as Cincinnati beat the Cubs in the rubber game of the series after losing six of seven matchups previously.
Michael Conforto had an RBI single in the second to put Chicago up 2-0.
Héctor Rodríguez hit his fourth homer — a three-run shot that put the Reds ahead 3-2 in the fourth — but Ian Happ walked and scored an unearned run on a throwing error by Rodríguez in right field to tie it in the bottom half.
Imanaga surrendered six runs on eight hits in five innings on a day the Cubs inducted pitcher Jon Lester, catcher Jody Davis and late broadcaster Vince Lloyd into their Hall of Fame.
Hall of Famer Greg Maddux threw wild on the ceremonial first pitch with more than 20 members of the Cubs’ 150th anniversary team in attendance.
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Reds RHP Brady Singer (5-12, 4.72 ERA) was set to start Monday night in Cincinnati opposite Padres RHP Michael King (8-9, 3.23). The Cubs haven’t announced a starter Monday night against the visiting Brewers and LHP Kyle Harrison (10-3, 2.79).
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 30: Dane Myers #17 and Sal Stewart #27 of the Cincinnati Reds celebrate after defeating the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on August 30, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Yes, Pete Crow-Armstrong blasted another pair of homers on Sunday night just 24 hours after he hit a trio of bombs off Cincinnati Reds pitching during Saturday’s 17-5 embarrassment by the Chicago Cubs. Yes, the Chicago Cubs jumped out to an immediate lead in the process, as PCA’s first blast of the night came in the Bottom of the 1st off Reds ace Chase Burns to open the game’s ledger.
From there on, though, the scrappy Cincinnati club took matters into their own hands on the Sunday Night Baseball national stage, and in doing so head home after a long three-city road trip west with as series victory on which they can most definitely hang their hats.
Hector Rodriguez helped turn the tide with a massive left-on-left three-run homer over the RF wall in Wrigley Field, and both Dane Myers and Tyler Stephenson followed in the Top of the 5th with moonshot blasts into the bleachers beyond the LF wall.
Then, Sal Stewart went to work on the Chicago bullpen in the Top of the 7th with a solo shot out to CF that carried some 418 feet. That blast meant the NL Rookie of the Year frontrunner officially homered in each game of the series.
That gave the Reds a 7-spot, and that was enough for their pitching staff to hold onto in the eventual 7-5 win.
Burns, to his credit, shrugged off the rain delay and early poor umpiring to pour in 5.2 IP of 2 ER ball on exactly 100 pitches before being pulled. He had PCA struck out in their first PA against one another in the Bottom of the 1st in a steady rain, but the home plate ump missed the call (and Stephenson opted against challenging in the game’s first PA for his pitcher), and PCA hit his homer on the very next pitch.
The lone real blemish on an otherwise impressive night by the young core of the Reds was that Elly De La Cruz exited early after hustling down the 1B line out of the box. He was pretty clearly in at least a bit of discomfort, and it was later reported that he’s got some quad tightness.
Fortunately, it appears all parties may be mostly OK. Charlie Goldsmith reported after the game that manager Terry Francona has some confidence that Elly may even be right back in the lineup as early as tomorrow.
Tito said there’s a chance Elly plays tomorrow. Don’t think the quad is very bad.
Over the past month, Carson Benge’s case has strengthened. Over the past 28 games entering play Sunday, the Mets outfielder carved out a place in the National League’s Rookie of the Year race with a .952 OPS and an NL-leading 38 hits.
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Benge hasn’t thought about his name continuing to pop up in chatter surrounding the award, but “[I] definitely do want it,” he told The Post before the Mets (61-76) lost 6-3 to the Astros. If he won the honor, it’d make him the first Met to do so since Pete Alonso in 2019 and just the third rookie from the franchise this century to take it, joining Alonso and Jacob deGrom (2014). But he’ll need to surge past the other candidates, including the Cardinals’ JJ Wetherholt, the Reds’ Sal Stewart and the Mets’ Nolan McLean, and extend his own tear across the final month of the season.
“It’d be cool,” Benge said before going 0-for-4 as the Mets capped a six-game homestand at Citi Field. “There’s plenty of good rookies around the NL, with one being in our locker room and the conversation, too, but it’d be pretty cool to win it over all those guys.”
New York Mets right fielder Carson Benge (3) scores on New York Mets first baseman Jared Young (29) two-run RBI triple in the fifth inning of the Mets and Houston Astros baseball game at Citi Field on Saturday, August 29, 2026. Bill Kostroun/New York Post
It’ll be challenging for Benge to separate from the field. Wetherholt, the St. Louis infielder who went on the injured list Sunday with right wrist tendinitis, has hit .242 with a .743 OPS and the sixth-best bWAR among NL position players (4.6). Stewart, 22, just became the first Reds rookie in franchise history to record a season with at least 30 homers and 100 RBIs, and he entered play Sunday with an MLB-leading 104 RBIs — one of two players in the league to hit the century mark.
And McLean, who stumbled early in the season, has collected a 1.76 ERA across his last 11 starts, with the most recent one unfolding Saturday when he allowed just two hits and an unearned run against the Astros.
But then there’s Benge, who has impressed with both his bat and his arm. He played his way onto the Opening Day roster with a strong spring training and then never lost his spot. He became the first Mets rookie since Darryl Strawberry in 1983 to have 15 homers and 15 stolen bases in the same season, and he sits at 16 homers and 54 RBIs for the year. Benge’s right arm has produced outfield assists clocked at 99.9 mph and 103.9 mph.
“I think [he] definitely belongs in the conversation right now with the guy who pitched last night for us,” interim manager Andy Green said Sunday of Benge and McLean. “I know there’s other good rookies throughout the game. I think Carson, throughout the year, shows the ability to bounce back from tough moments really well. Really talented hitter. Can hit any pitch at any time. Even as he goes through funks, he maintains like the right perspective and the right attitude and the right approach.
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“I think we knew that’s who he was. It’s great to see it play out on a big league field in the first season.” Benge said he doesn’t think about what might allow him to stand out from others in contention for the award. He’ll let whoever votes judge that. He hasn’t talked to McLean, a teammate at Oklahoma State before their climb through the minors and to the Mets, about it either.
It might be tough to unseat Stewart, who has the numbers. It might be tough to topple Wetherholt, even if he misses chances to add to his stats while injured. But with his recent tear, Benge has at the very least entered the conversation, inching closer to something the 23-year-old said he thought was possible from when he first started working toward cracking the Mets roster back in spring training.
Carson Benge of the New York Mets fields a hit by Jackson Merrill of the San Diego Padres and sends it home as Manny Machado is tagged out to end the first inning on Monday, Aug. 17, 2026, at Citi Field in Queens. Getty Images
“I think if not,” Benge said of that thought, “I’m selling myself short. If you’re gonna try and come into the league and not do anything, be average to below average, I don’t think you’re doing it right.”
DENVER, COLORADO - JULY 31: Hunter Goodman #15 of the Colorado Rockies prepares to bat in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Coors Field on July 31, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
For most of the season, my attention stays pretty firmly on the Colorado Rockies.
That will not change down the stretch, but the losses are starting to stack up again. The Rockies are 4-11 over their last 15 games, and that can get frustrating.
Sometimes it is nice to look up and see what else is happening around baseball, and as the calendar nears September, it is a good time to do exactly that.
While not a particularly good division, the AL West might be the least settled division race of all. Houston sits at 69-68, just one game above .500. Texas is 67-70 and two games back, while Seattle sits at 64-73 and five games out. Houston does not exactly look interested in running away with the division, but Texas and Seattle have not shown much desire to take it from them, either. Personally, I would not mind a Houston-less October.
Then there are the White Sox. Two years removed from losing 121 games, Chicago is 72-64 and leads the 69-68 Guardians by 3.5 games in the AL Central. Can they finish off one of baseball’s more unexpected division titles — or can the Rockies perhaps play spoilers in the final days of the season?
Both Wild Card races still leave room for a late surprise. Cleveland holds the final AL spot, but Baltimore is just one game back, Toronto is 1.5 out and Texas sits two back. In the NL, Arizona holds the final spot by just a half-game over San Diego, while Miami remains 3.5 games out.
Meanwhile, Yordan Alvarez enters the stretch run hitting .320 with 37 home runs and 93 RBI. He leads the American League in all three categories, putting a Triple Crown firmly within reach.
On the mound, Jacob Misiorowski owns a 1.73 ERA with 222 strikeouts in 151 innings. If he can stay below 2.00 and reach 250 strikeouts, he would be the first pitcher to accomplish both since Jacob deGrom in 2018.
And the National League home run race is of particular interest to us Rockies fans. Kyle Schwarber leads the league with 40, Matt Olson has 37, and Hunter Goodman is tied with Pete Crow-Armstrong at 36. Goodman has already produced two three-homer games this season, so we know he can hit them in bunches.
Those are a few things I will be watching.
What about you? What race, milestone, player or team has your attention as we head into September?
SAN ANTONIO, TX - MARCH 21: Pascal Siakam #43 of the Indiana Pacers and Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs looks on during the game on March 21, 2026 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photos by Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Earlier this summer, sports streaming service DAZN announced a major exclusive streaming deal with New York-based sports teams. In the announcement, Sports Business Journal’s Austin Karp, citing NBA sources, mentioned it would not be the only NBA deal for the 2026-2027 season, specifically mentioning the Spurs, among other teams, with deals in the works.
Since the initial story, two more teams have made it official. Washington Wizards and other D.C. sports broadcaster, Monumental Sports, announced a partnership with DAZN, growing upon its pre-existing infrastructure. More interestingly for Spurs fans, though, is the deal with the Indiana Pacers.
The Pacers and the NBA made the announcement recently, stating that DAZN will be the exclusive provider of regular-season Pacers games via a team-branded streaming service set to be available on most all devices very soon. That is great for Indiana fans; however, what Spurs fans will be interested to learn, as they await a deal of their own, is the price offerings.
First off, DAZN will be providing 22 regular season games for free on the DAZN app, with 15 of them being simulcasted over-the-air. This was expected, as Sports Business Journal originally reported, to “draw in viewership.”
For the remainder of the games, access beyond the Paywall is priced at $119.99/year with the option of an Early Bird Season Pass carrying a 50 percent discount for those who sign up before October, coming out to $59.99 for the season. Monthly options are also available at $19.99/month. Pacers season ticket holders will be gifted a free season pass as an added perk.
NBA League Pass subscribers should note these prices are only applicable within the Indiana geographical market. Pacers games will still be broadcast nationally via the League Pass app or TV provider subscription.
While it should be reiterated that none of this applies to the San Antonio Spurs, it could be an indicator of what is to come. Indianapolis has notable similarities to San Antonio in terms of market size and cost. That doesn’t make it unfathomable to think a Spurs-flavored offering would look very similar.
Nonetheless, while nothing is confirmed, a deal will need to be done soon as the season is less than two months away.
HOUSTON, TX - DECEMBER 17: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets takes a three point shot defended by Ricky Rubio #3 of the Utah Jazz in the fourth quarter at Toyota Center on December 17, 2018 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Why is there a picture of James Harden? Read on.
Welcome to Part Two of three covering what I believe is a high stakes season (in terms of sports for entertainment) for the Houston Rockets. One of the reasons to divide the team into the three parts, management, players and coaching, is to look at the relative strengths, weaknesses, and pressures on each. Another is ask the question: can a team be successful without all three elements being strong on their own, and also working at least fairly well? If by success you mean, finish with a decent record, make the playoffs, the yes, that’s very possible. We’ve seen it with these Rockets, and not that long ago we saw LeBron James drag not particularly impressive Cleveland teams to the NBA Finals (albeit in a pretty weak Eastern Conference).
If by success you mean make conference Finals, maybe an NBA Finals, then no, I don’t believe a team can do that, absent a truly generational player like James at his peak. If a team lacks that, and I’d argue, for example, the Knicks who almost swept three rounds of NBA playoffs do lack such a player, then the other elements of coaching and players must be good as well. I think higher level success in the playoffs is won at the margins. Those margins, those fine distinctions are where an inadequate coach, an incoherent roster, or players who are unsuited to their roles, will limit success.
Or sometimes the distinctions and margins are not really a razor’s edge at all. Sometimes they’re a dull axe blade.
The question is this: are the Rockets players suited to run the offense and defense they’re being asked to run? If the players job on the court is to run their coach’s scheme, and in essence it is, rather than it solely being a series of discrete actions that can then be quantified and ranked, are the Rockets players fit for this job?
Well, yes and no. That sounds weasely but it isn’t. Yes on defense, no on offense.
This isn’t the usual question of, (perceived as a bag of stats and measures), is an individual player any good? That’s a good question to ask, of course, but it’s also now the easier one to ask, as we now have a welter of public information, and of course even more is available to teams and other professionals. It can be a way of answering the same question, of course, as well.
What it can’t answer as well is: Is this player any good at what he’s being asked to do, and might he be better asked to do something else, or do things differently?
The Rockets defense is very good. We might perceive it as having slipped from when it was fun, but it’s still good for 6th in the NBA. That’s in a title winning range (title winning teams are almost always top 10 in both offense and defense, and usually around top five in one of those if not both). It’s not a particularly creative scheme of defense, and it doesn’t seem to have a number of go to moves, when it appears an opponent has solved it over the course of playoff games. The go to move is “try harder and maybe let’s try a zone”. This has worked, but in my opinion is exhausting, and costs the team in various ways. Reflexively adding more defense when points are what’s needed is an odd way of looking the world, but the Rockets defense isn’t in need of fixing, particularly.
The Rockets, though, are suited to playing good to great defense in the style they are being asked to play. If Kevin Durant weren’t the defensive equivalent of a coat rack on the court, except when he sniffs a badass block in the air, the rest of it would look better. I think a lot of “glaring mistakes” by other players are a result of him not really guarding anyone on certain possessions, or even attempting to fight through screens.
There’s more to say about other players and issues they have: Sengun isn’t really a rim protector, Sheppard is targeted on defense, Tari Eason makes bizarre choices. That said, those are the kind of things other teams are routinely able to live with. Especially with defenders like Amen Thompson, and let’s be fair, Jabari Smith, on the court. (I think Jabari and Amen were asked to play outfield for Durant a lot.)
So I’d say this group of players is fit to run the defensive scheme they are asked to run. We’ll leave the question of “Is what they’re being asked to do good enough?” for tomorrow.
Now for the “no”. Are the Rockets players suited to run the offense they run? No. Absolutely not. Why?
This one’s easy, because essentially the Rockets under Udoka run a less complex version of the offense the Rockets ran at the peak of James Harden’s and Mike D’Antoni’s tenure. That specific offense typically starts at the top of the three point arc, with an initiator who is capable of breaking down a defender off the dribble and either passing him by or getting him on his hip for a driving finish and maybe a foul. If that doesn’t work, the center (usually) sets a screen that gives him the space to get to the rim, and the screener also rolls to the rim sometimes for easy dunk finishes. Young Clint Capela was a star in this role. If the rim is closed off, and the center covered, the initiator can pass out to the perimeter where shooters are waiting in the left corner, and at other points on the arc. Or it the attack can be reset elsewhere on the court.
In the case of Harden and MDA, the Rockets took a player who wasn’t especially highly valued early in his career, and gave him a crucial role, in PJ Tucker. Tucker was a rugged defender who could defend above his size, and could make corner threes. The other players can also shoot 3pt shots, and hopefully one of them can also initiate (Chris Paul) or get his own shot (Eric Gordon).
That’s how that offensive approach worked (circa 2017) when it was going well. That is, without much exception, what the Rockets attempted to do in 2025-26.
Do any of the current Rockets resemble any of the key parts here much? Are the players fitted for the roles they need to play in this scheme?
No. They aren’t.
First, there’s no James Harden, an offensive player so dangerous in his prime that one team literally doubled him with a player always following behind him, so he couldn’t shoot his step back three point shot. (Hello, Ricky Rubio pic!) Is there anyone even resembling that player on the Rockets roster? Again. No. It certainly wasn’t Kevin Durant. There is no one player who can individually break down the defense and get a good shot from a contested position at the start of the possession. Not one in any quantity anyway, and the Rockets offense generates that problem, and question, nearly every single offensive play, for these Rockets. Without James Harden, or anyone close.
Well, what about other spots? Is there a center that operates off that player the Rockets don’t have? One that gets easy looks off the threat of the initiator and his movement? No. There’s a mobile center, without a lot of vertical ability, who is really better set in space closer to the basket, and allowed to pass to moving teammates, where he can be special, and create and operate fluidly.
Does such a center as the Rockets actually have clash with the Hardenesque Scheme? Yes. Violently. It doesn’t mesh. They’re in the same space by the basket, and surprise, since that almost always happens, you know who else is in that space? You know who else values that same real estate close to the basket? Kevin Durant. So given the scheme, the center, and KD, who else might want to occupy this same court space? That’s right, the defense. NBA defenses can get away with playing a college scheme to beat the Rockets when it really counts. All they really have to do is close the paint, and nothing really works, barring a hot shooting night.
Now, are there fairly reliable shooters in the corner, waiting for a pass? Sometimes there’s Jabari Smith (36%) or Reed Sheppard (39%), but oftentimes there’s Amen Thompson (21%). (PJ Tucker took 74% of his 3pt shots from the corner, where he shot 38% for his career, peaking at 45%.) In this Rockets offense Amen (23%) is in the corner more than Reed (49%). Amen shoots the easiest three pointer in the game at 23% from the corner, where he takes 58% of his threes. Worse, though, because Amen knows he’s such a bad shooter, he often passes up the open shot the offense laboriously generated, often leading to a grenade to someone else. Sheppard shot 49% from the corner, where he shot 14% of his threes, Smith went 37% from the corner and shot 35% of his threes from there. No, I can’t make it make sense.
Once again, players that aren’t suited for a role are put in that role anyway, to fit a certain scheme.
In fact almost the entire Rockets roster, including “fits anywhere” Kevin Durant don’t, haven’t, and won’t, fit this approach. Historically (yes, we can refer to Durant’s career ‘historically’ at this point) Kevin Durant has always been best off ball, and not dribbling unless he’s trying to get to his middie. Which is EXACTLY why you cast him the the James Harden Role. A role that requires, demands, insists upon, an immaculate handle, and coolness under pressure when passing, and an ability to get anywhere on the court to force the defense into problematic positions. If you thought you saw that from Durant last season, welcome KD Burner Account! If you think Fred VanVleet is some sort of James Harden analog at 32, well, it’s nice that you read the Dreamshake, Mrs VanVleet. At least he can dribble, if not get a shot at the rim.
I could go on, and have, but I think that’s enough for now.
So, by my reckoning the players are fine, and even very good at the defense they’re being asked to play, and they’re almost entirely unsuited to the offense they’re asked to play. And yet they still can score. That, to me, is actually a fantastic sign for the future of these players (wherever they end up). Imagine what they could do if they did what they were good at, instead of doing some weird cosplay of the the 2017 Rockets offense?
Knoxville Smokies infielder Edgar Alvarez (25) celebrates hitting a double during a Minor League baseball game between the Knoxville Smokies and Birmingham Barons at Covenant Health Park in Knoxville, Tenn., on June 2, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
The I-Cubs got a very good start from Javier Assad, who allowed just one run on three hits over 5.1 innings. Assad struck out five and walked no one.
Jaxon Wiggins gave the I-Cubs 1.2 innings of scoreless relief. Wiggins allowed one hit. He did not walk anyone and struck out one. Since moving to the bullpen, Wiggins has thrown 6.2 scoreless innings and has allowed just two hits.
Antoine Kelly got the loss when he allowed two runs on two hits over two-thirds of an inning in the top of the ninth. Kelly walked three and struck out one.
Iowa’s lone run came on a solo home run by second baseman James Triantos in the fourth inning. It was Triantos’ ninth home run this season. Today, he went 2 for 4.
Catcher Owen Ayers was 1 for 3 and was hit by a pitch.
Assad was helped by some great defense in right field from Chas McCormick.
Connor Schultz started and lasted four innings, allowing two runs on six hits. He struck out four and did not walk anyone.
Yenrri Rojas handled the next two innings, didn’t allow a run on one hit, and got the win because Schultz didn’t go five. Rojas walked one and struck out one.
First baseman Edgar Alvarez had a huge night, going 3 for 5 with a double and a solo home run in the second inning. It was Alvarez’s 11th home run this year. Alvarez had four total RBI and scored twice.
DH Miguel Useche was 3 for 4 with a double. He drove in two and scored once.
Alex Madera went 2 for 4 with a two-run triple and a walk. Madera scored one run.
Anhuar Garcia threw the first four innings and surrendered two runs on six hits. Garcia struck out five and walked no one, so that makes a decent line look even better.
JP Wheat gave up three runs in the bottom of the eighth, as well as two inherited runners allowed two score, to take the loss. Wheat’s final line was three runs on four hits over two-thirds of an inning. He did not walk anyone and he struck out one.
Catcher Logan Poteet hit two home runs this afternoon. The first one came with a man on in the fourth inning and the second one was a solo shot in the top of the ninth. Poteet now has 21 home runs this year, seven of which came with South Bend. Poteet was 3 for 4 with a walk and four runs scored.
Right fielder Alexey Lumpuy went back-to-back with Poteet in the ninth as South Bend got a two-out rally going again. Lumpuy also had a bases-loaded triple in the seventh inning and an RBI single in the sixth for five total RBI. Lumpuy went 3 for 5 with the triple, the home run and a stolen base.
Center fielder Leonel Espinoza was 2 for 4 with a double and an RBI single. He also scored one run.
DH Kade Snell went 3 for 5 with a steal. He scored three times.
First baseman Josiah Hartshorn was 1 for 2 with two walks, a stolen base and a sac fly. He scored one run.
The Pelicans got off to a good start with Freddy Rodriguez, who allowed just one run on two hits over four innings. The one run came on a second-inning home run. Rodriguez walked three and struck out four.
Fenuel James then pitched the next three innings and retired all nine batters he faced. He struck out three.
The wheels came off when the Pelicans held an 8-1 lead going into the bottom of the eighth and they allowed nine runs in the inning to blow the game. Jhon Cabral allowed five runs on three hits and two walks without retiring a batter. The loss then went to John Alkire II who did managed to get three outs, but not before giving up two inherited runners and four runs of his own. Alkire gave up three hits and two walks. He struck out one.
DH Alexis Hernandez hit a solo home run in the sixth inning, his third on the season. Hernandez came a triple shy of the cycle as he was 3 for 4 with a double and the home run. He had two runs batted in and scored twice.
Third baseman Derniche Valdez homered twice with solo shots in the sixth and eighth innings. Valdez went 2 for 4. He now has ten home runs this season.
Valdez’s home run in the eighth came back-to-back with a solo home run by center fielder Darlyn De Leon, who hit his fourth home run with a man on. De Leon went 1 for 4.
Second baseman Juan Cabada was 2 for 5.
Eli Lovich with an RBI double. Lovich was 1 for 4.
And, mostly, about his own underwhelming play over recent weeks, in which his lack of form at the plate has amplified the Dodgers’ teamwide slump.
This time, however, there was no magic from the 32-year-old superstar; no towering swing nor transformational moment to remind the baseball world of his stature as its premier player.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani hits a line drive for an out against the Detroit Tigers during the eighth inning on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026, in Detroit. AP Photo/Paul Sancya
“Obviously,” manager Dave Roberts said, “we still got to get Shohei on track.”
Sunday mirrored many of Ohtani’s recently underwhelming performances: There was poor pitch selection, leading to his 11th multi-strikeout game out of 27 this month. There was a flawed approach with his swing even when he did make contact, leading to three batted balls that, despite being hit hard, all failed to escape the infield.
As a result, Ohtani’s numbers aren’t looking as formidable as they once did: His batting average is down to .280 — the lowest it has been since the end of May. His .908 OPS still ranks top-five in the majors, but would mark his worst in a season since 2022.
More importantly, Ohtani’s OPS is also now well behind Crow-Armstrong’s, which rose to .944 following his tour de force Saturday.
Ohtani’s OPS is also now well behind Pete Crow-Armstrong’s, which rose to .944 following his tour de force Saturday. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Side by side, the stat lines of the two MVP candidates no longer look quite so similar as Ohtani is slashing .280/.379/.529 with 30 home runs and 80 RBIs while Crow-Armstrong is up to .282/.377/.567 with 36 home runs and 89 RBIs.
More than that, Crow-Armstrong also continues to pace Ohtani in value-based advanced metrics like wins-above-replacement (9.1 to 6.9, per Fangraphs), thanks to the surplus value he generates as the game’s top center fielder.
After three consecutive, unanimous MVP honors, and four total in his career, Ohtani has gone this year from frontrunner to next-best.
For the Dodgers, the bigger priority is getting his offense back on track first.
“Once we get him going,” Roberts said, “[our offense is] going to be fun to watch.”
As he’s done all year during Ohtani’s return to a full-time two-way role, Roberts downplayed the correlation between his star player’s recent pitching ramp-up and decline in offensive production.
After three consecutive, unanimous MVP honors, and four total in his career, Ohtani has gone this year from frontrunner to next-best. AP Photo/Jose Juarez
The skipper said Sunday that Ohtani’s problems are isolated to a variety of routine hitting flaws.
“Sometimes he’s taking balls that are good pitches to hit, then expanding. Other times, I think the direction, the intent is a little too much to the pull side,” Roberts said. “So I think with Shohei, it’s a combo.”
Where Ohtani’s pitching plan could impact his hitting, however, is in the way he dedicates his limited time over the rest of the regular season.
Every hour spent playing catch in the outfield, or grinding through a bullpen session, or (if he does get back in the Dodgers’ rotation) preparing for a start is one he can’t spend working on his swing, or getting extra time in the batting cages, or maximizing his potential as the game’s most fearsome slugger.
Team officials are conscious of that balance, and it will be taken into account once they return to Los Angeles this week and decide on next steps for Ohtani as a pitcher.
“Hopefully we can get home, get him in a better spot physically, mentally, whatever it is,” Roberts said, after revealing Saturday that the four-time MVP is still “not 100%” with his multiple injuries.
“Everyone goes through these things,” he added. “But we gotta get him going.”
As much as Ohtani’s MVP chances will depend on it, so too could the Dodgers’ season.
Because regardless of whether he’s pitching or not, their offense will always first and foremost revolve around him.
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The Buffalo Sabres took great steps ahead this past season, finishing in first place in the highly-competitive Atlantic Division, then winning their first-round Stanley Cup playoffs series against the Boston Bruins before falling to the Montreal Canadiens in Round 2.
That success means that the TheHockeyNews.com’s 2025-26 grades for Sabres players will be largely positive. And in this “Sabres Grades” file, we’re focused on goaltender Colten Ellis.
Ellis didn’t get a ton of playing time playing behind veterans Alex Lyon and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, but one of the reasons Buffalo traded young netminder Devon Levi is that Ellis had leaped over Levi in Buffalo’s goaltending depth chart. Ellis is now looking like Buffalo’s goalie-of-the-future, but the beginning of his NHL career has been much to the Sabres’ liking.
Colten Ellis
Position: Goaltender
Grade: B+
The Skinny: Ellis put forth a terrific rookie NHL season, appearing in 16 games and posting an 8-4-2 record, a 2.90 GAA, a .903 save percentage and one shutout. Those numbers weren’t going to get Ellis a Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goalie, but the 25-year-old showed enough last year to push himself up the Sabres’ organizational depth chart.
Ellis has established himself as a strong netminder at the American League level with the Springfield Thunderbirds, posting strong years in 2023-24 and 2024-25. He needs more opportunity, but given that Luukkonen and Lyon both are under contract next season, more playing time may be hard to come by – at least, so long as the injury bug doesn’t sideline one or both of that goalie tandem.
Ellis is entering the final season of his current two-year contract, so he’s got all the motivation in the world to play more and play well this coming season. Lyon is also in the final year of his contract, and that means Ellis could push Lyon out the door. And if that’s what happens and Buffalo benefits from a step-up season from Ellis, Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen has the option to trade Lyon or Luukkonen and make Buffalo’s goaltending tandem into a 50/50 games split.
That’s a column for another day. This file is about last season, and while Ellis didn’t finish off the 2025-26 season particularly well, he had enough strong stretches to convince Buffalo to retain him.
Ellis is shaping up to be a long-term fixture in Western New York, and if he continues progressing, Ellis could be a significant part of a Sabres team capable of winning a championship.
The Mets prospects put up some huge feats and produced a bit of history on Sunday. Here's the latest roundup of what's going on down on the farm...
Mitch Voit, Jefferson Rojas homer at Double-A
Three of the top 10 in SNY's Mets Top 30 Prospects featured in the Binghamton Rumble Ponies' 14-5 win over the Reading Fightin Phils: No. 1 Jefferson Rojas, No. 5 Mitch Voit, and No. 8 Jacob Reimer.
Voit batted leadoff and had a hot bat all night. He went 3-for-4 with two walks, a strikeout, and 3 RBI, including a two-run home run in the fifth inning.
Not to be outdone, Rojas batted third, went 3-for-6 with 4 RBI, and clobbered a two-run shot of his own. He also struck out twice.
Reimer reached base just once, going 1-for-6 with a double.
Meanwhile, No. 23 Chris Suero and No. 29 Eli Serrano III each came to bat five times. Suero worked two walks while going 0-for-3 with a strikeout, while Serrano knocked an RBI double, reached on a single, stole a base, and struck out twice.
BIG FLY VOIT
Mitch Voit (@Mets No. 4 prospect) deposits a go-ahead two-run home run! 💣
Both of his Double-A home runs have come from FirstEnergy Stadium.
— Binghamton Rumble Ponies (@RumblePoniesBB) August 30, 2026
Jefferson Rojas (@Mets No. 1 prospect) belts a two-run home run 🚀@MLBPipeline's No. 76 prospect is up to 22 HR this season and 7 HR since being traded to New York.
— Binghamton Rumble Ponies (@RumblePoniesBB) August 30, 2026
Sammy Stafura homers for Brooklyn
The Mets' No. 3 prospect (who came over in the Luke Weaver trade) connected on the first home run of his time with the Mets in the top half of the fifth. He liked doing it so much on Sunday that he didn't wait too long to do it again in the ninth.
Playing about forty minutes from his childhood home against the Hudson Valley Renegades, Satafura finished the afternoon 2-for-4 with a walk, a strikeout, and three batted in on those two round trippers.
He's now batting .285 with a .949 for the year at High-A.
There weren't quite the same eye-popping prospect performances for the Syracuse Mets in their 8-0 victory over the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
No. 15 Nick Morabito batted leadoff, picking up a single, reached on a catcher's interference, and drew a walk in five times up with a stolen base for good measure. Batting sixth in the order, No. 27 Billy Amick went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.
The real story here was conducted by Mets veterans currently playing at Triple-A. Rehabbing Mark Vientos blasted a trifecta of home runs, going 4-for-5 on the day with 5 RBI. Ronny Mauricio was 2-for-5 with an RBI.
Most notably, Tobias Myers was one of six relievers who combined for a no-hitter. Myers pitched three full innings and struck out one batter, facing the minimum nine batters without issuing a walk.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 30: Elias Díaz #35 and Jacob Latz #67 of the Texas Rangers celebrate after defeating the Milwaukee Brewers 7-4 at American Family Field on August 30, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Rangers 7, Brewers 4
Well will you look at that…the Rangers can win a game!
On the road, even!
And in a game where Kumar Rocker only went three innings!
Kumar Rocker, man…
Just four days ago, we marveled at the fact that Sean Burke threw 92 pitches against the Rangers in just three innings, and the White Sox still won the game.
Rocker didn’t match the eight walks Burke issued in his three innings of work. He did match the three innings pitched and two runs allowed, however, while coming just short of Burke’s pitch total.
Rocker needed 86 pitches to get through three innings.
That’s not good. It is, in fact, bad.
Rocker only faced 17 batters. That means he averaged over 5 pitches per batter.
Its kind of remarkable he lasted that long. The Brewers’ first four batters all reached. 20 pitches into the game for Rocker, two runs were in, two runners were on base, and there were no outs in the inning.
Rocker managed to retire nine of the next 13 batters he faced, seven on strikes. Three of the four batters he didn’t retire reached via the walk.
By the time Rocker got the hook after the third, the Rangers had tied it up, so at least he wasn’t going to be tagged with a loss, whatever happened.
I guess you know, though, that the Rangers didn’t lose, so he wouldn’t have gotten tagged with a loss anyway.
Tyler Alexander — an unsung hero of your 2026 Texas Rangers — gave the team two innings of shutout work to get the team to the fifth inning. Adam Macko, Jordan Montgomery, Jakob Junis and Jacob Latz each contributed an inning apiece after that.
I imagine the hope was that it was not going to be a save situation, with the Rangers getting seven runs on the board by the time Montgomery came in for the bottom of the seventh. A two out, two run homer by Gary Sanchez narrowed the lead, though, making it a little closer and less comfortable than we all would have liked.
Still, it gave Jacob Latz the opportunity to pick up his first save in a week, in his first appearance for the Rangers in a week.
Losing streaks are bad for getting your closer work. They are good for getting your closer lots of rest, though.
The seven runs the Rangers scored are a reminder that sometimes the Rangers can hit the ball and it can find the dirt or the grass, and they can run like the wind down to first, and sometimes even second or third, without making an out.
And eventually they can even come all the way home and score a run.
This is actually the third time in the last six games that the Rangers have scored at least seven runs, so maybe my sarcasm isn’t necessarily warranted.
The dynamic duo of Elias Diaz and Ezequiel Duran got the Rangers on the board, and then the lead, with Diaz hitting a two out ground rule double right after Cody Freeman had put up a two run double of his own in the top of the second, and then Duran homering in the third to tie the score.
Duran added a ground rule double of his own in the fifth to bring home Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford, who had walked to start the inning and then advanced on a Brandon Nimmo groundout.
Joc Pederson homered in the sixth for some necessary (it turned out) insurance, and then a sequence of singles and an error brought two more insurance runs that weren’t necessary, but which are fun nonetheless.
Pederson had a chance to blow it open in the seventh, with the bases loaded and two outs. He could have homered again, giving the Rangers 11 runs, tying their season high.
It would have been great had he done that.
Pederson didn’t, however.
I guess its okay, though. The Rangers won anyway.
Rangers wins…they are so emotionally uplifting, aren’t they?
Kumar Rocker touched 95.8 with both his fastball and his sinker, averaging 94.2 mph with each pitch. Tyler Alexander maxed out at 94.2 mph with his fastball. Adam Macko’s fastball topped out at 95.8 mph. Jordan Montgomery’s sinker reached 92.7 mph. Jakob Junis hit 92.9 mph with his fastball. Jacob Latz’s fastball topped out at 97.3 mph.
Brandon Nimmo had a 105.7 mph single. Corey Seager had a 104.7 mph single and a 104.7 mph groundout. Evan Carter had a 103.9 mph groundout and a 101.9 mph fly out. Ezequiel Duran had a 103.3 mph double. Joc Pederson had a 100.8 mph home run.
A return to the cozy confines of the Shed, and hopefully a return to winning more often than losing for a while.
With the 26th overall pick of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, the Montreal Canadiens selected forward Filip Mesar. So far, the former first-round pick has struggled to take much of a step forward in his development.
Mesar appeared in 71 games during this past season with the Laval Rocket, where he recorded nine goals, 18 assists, and 27 points. This was after he had four goals and 18 points in 42 games for Laval during the 2024-25 season.
With numbers like these, Mesar has yet to have that big breakout year in the AHL. He has also still not made his NHL debut for Montreal. With that, things have been rocky with the first-round pick's development.
As a result of this, it is clear that the 2026-27 season is a big year for Mesar. The Canadiens prospect forward needs to take a serious step in the right direction with his development. This is especially so when noting that he is entering the final season of his entry-level contract.
With Mesar being 22 years old, there is still time for him to improve. However, if he continues to struggle in the AHL, it will only create more questions about his future with the Habs organization.
Will Warren pitches in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on August 30, 2026 in New York City.
The Yankees were playing an eighth game in seven days. There is a transaction just about every day that adds another relief arm, either from the scrap heap or from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Two starting pitchers — who both pitched in Saturday’s doubleheader — are attempting to stretch out from injuries at the major league level and do not have their full allotment of pitches. The few trustworthy bullpen arms are exhausted.
“Quite honestly,” manager Aaron Boone said, “going in [to the game], you’re like: I don’t know how we’re getting to the finish line today.”
The answer: Will Warren carrying the team and the staff on his right arm.
Will Warren looks on during the game between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, August 30, 2026 in New York, New York. MLB Photos via Getty Images
The ostensible No. 5 starter performed like he was one of the aces. Warren pitched into the eighth inning in a 16-1 demolition of the Red Sox on Sunday in The Bronx, where Warren responded to both the team’s need and his own struggles.
Warren — whose ERA had risen from 3.45 to 4.39 over his previous 11 games, a span dating to June 26 in which he had allowed 32 earned runs in 48 ²/₃ innings (5.92) — looked like his excellent April self.
In what was the biggest start of his season, given the staff’s predicament and given a tiebreaker was at stake against the blood-rival Red Sox, Warren turned in “probably his best performance of the year,” Boone said.
The final line — seven-plus innings in which he allowed one earned run on six hits and a walk with seven strikeouts — does not do full justice. Given the state of the bullpen, Boone pushed Warren as far as he could go, including two additional batters in the eighth inning (a double and RBI single) that prevented a Yankees shutout.
Will Warren pitches in the first inning against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on August 30, 2026 in New York City. Getty Images
“I knew we were short [in the bullpen], but I think every week I just go out there and try to get as many outs as possible,” said Warren, whose club is now 17-9 in games he starts. “So that was my goal today was just — no matter what happens, just keep getting outs.”
The outing was particularly impressive considering how it started. He got into trouble in the first inning, allowing two of the first three batters he faced to reach, in the kind of ominous opening that could have left the Yankees on the other side of such a lopsided score.
But with Roman Anthony on second and Wilyer Abreu on first, Warren threw a sweeper that Willson Contreras chased for the second out.
In a full count with Adley Rutschman, Warren dotted the bottom of the zone with another sweeper and strutted off the field.
“I thought he was going to swing. He didn’t,” Warren said. “I was just trying to get back in the zone and make a good pitch and went from there.”
From there — actually, from the walk to Abreu — Warren retired 13 straight batters until Trevor Story reached with an infield single in the fifth.
If nothing else, Warren looked like an arm who should continue to take down regular-season innings and can see postseason innings in some form.
Will Warren started the most important game of the Yankees season so far, and that was fitting. He and other Yankees who have not pitched leverage innings for them this season will likely be doing so when their season is on the line in October. After they traded away relievers and did not replace them before the trade deadline, the Yankees will be relying on their ability to create an October bullpen weapon or two on the fly.
Warren, who threw seven shutout innings in Sunday’s win – a game that gave them the season series over the Red Sox and home-field advantage in the first round if the teams finish with the same record – will almost certainly be pitching out of the bullpen when the postseason schedule eliminates the need for a fifth starter. Sunday, he reminded the Yankees why he will be a valuable piece of their pitching staff moving forward, whatever role he holds.
“I felt like I feel like that every week,” Warren said after a masterpiece made more crucial by the fact that the Yankees bullpen was depleted by Saturday’s doubleheader. “Sometimes it doesn’t obviously play like that. But I’m confident every time I take the mound.”
Former rookie of the year Luis Gil will spend the next few weeks auditioning for a relief role after being called up for the first time in 2026 on Sunday. Clarke Schmidt, owner of a 3.82 career ERA, said Sunday that he felt good after his first rehab outing since Tommy John surgery in July of 2025 and should be built up enough to serve in relief when he returns.
If Ryan Weathers can somehow heal his elbow injury in time to pitch in the postseason, he probably would not have time to build back up to starting. He might have been in for a switch even if he were healthy: The Yankees always seemed likely to shift him to the bullpen in October anyway.
Joining them on the audition list are veterans Justin Topa and Michael Fulmer, acquired off the waiver wire after Fernando Cruz suffered an elbow injury that left the Yankees bullpen looking thin. Paul Blackburn has become nearly unhittable, which has helped the Yankees handle setup innings ahead of David Bednar. But if he lapses into mere mortality again – or if Brent Headrick starts showing the effects of making 20 more appearances in a season than he has ever made before -- they will have to get creative in leverage.
Options exist in the minor leagues, too. Yerry De Los Santos, optioned Sunday because the Yankees needed a fresh arm, has a 1.35 ERA in 15 big-league appearances this year. Aaron Boone said he expects De Los Santos to return to the major league roster before season’s end.
Angel Chivilli, who looked unhittable at times until suffering an elbow injury in early August, has resumed throwing. Boone said last week that Chivilli could “still be an option.” The Yankees recently signed veteran Eli Morgan to a minor league deal, and if he pitches well in Scranton, he might earn a tryout, too. But there are few sure things in that bunch – and no surer thing for a Yankees team struggling to score than close games down the stretch.
The Yankees have plenty of time to gain clarity. Ultimately, the eventual makeup of their postseason bullpen might become far more obvious than it seems right now. But those three current and former starters will have substantial influence over its October composition.
Warren has only made two career relief appearances, but he has a five-pitch arsenal he could winnow into his best three pitches, one of which is a fastball that sits in the mid-90s but has touched 97 and could reasonably be expected to sit nearer that number in short bursts. And he didn’t
Schmidt said he too plans to pare down his arsenal for bullpen duties – and that he thinks his stuff could grow livelier in shorter outings, as well.
“I would like to think [it would tick up], I would hope so,” Schmidt said. “I think obviously you pitch a little bit differently in that role. You can kind of let it eat a little bit.”
Schmidt, 30, said he hasn’t discussed the specifics of his bullpen role with Yankees management, though his understanding that it could resemble the multi-inning hybrid role Michael King served at times under Boone.
Gil, meanwhile, will still need to prove he deserves a bullpen start before the Yankees start to shape one for him. The righty did not make the Yankees rotation out of spring training and dealt with a shoulder injury until mid-August. He has not allowed a run in five Scranton appearances since returning. All five appearances have been for two innings or fewer.
“He seems healthy. He seems strong. The fastball seems like it’s in a good place: the profile seems good,” Boone said. “Encouraged with how he’s looking, how he’s bouncing back and everything.”
Exactly where the October innings will go will be dictated by what happens between now and late September, when the Yankees can test potential leverage options in games that, if their recent track record is any indication, will be close late. Then again, the Yankees offense scored 22 runs between Saturday night and Sunday. When it comes to solidifying a bullpen in flux during a pennant push, a few extra runs a night certainly wouldn’t hurt.
ATLANTA, GA - AUGUST 29: Michael Harris II #23 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates hitting a two-RBI double in the eighth inning during the game against the Colorado Rockies at Truist Park on August 29, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jack Casey/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
What a difference a week makes, right? Around this time last week, the Atlanta Braves were looking to simply get the train back on the tracks by salvaging a win from a series loss against the Brewers. They’d lost three full series in a row and the Phillies were red hot. It was getting too close for comfort at the top of the NL East!
Now here we are, just a week later and the Braves appear to be back in control of things. They already managed to pull off a major coup with a three-game sweep over the Los Angeles Dodgers and now it was time to take care of business against a Colorado Rockies team that appeared prime to trip up the Braves based on how they performed over the weekend. Either way, it was on the Braves to make sure that they didn’t let off the gas against the NL West cellar-dwellers after putting pedal-to-the-metal against the NL West leaders earlier this week. How did things go? Let’s take a look.
Despite the fact that it was “only” a two-run win for the Braves, this felt like a business-like performance from Atlanta as far as the offense goes. The Braves racked up 14 hits on the night and raced out to a 4-0 lead after three innings. Michael Harris II and Sean Murphy picked up RBI doubles in the second inning, Drake Baldwin delivered an RBI single to make it 3-0 after two and then Mauricio Dubón continued his incredible run with two outs and runners in scoring position as he knocked in a run to make it 4-0.
Grant Holmes was going smoothly until the fifth inning, which is when the Rockies got a small-ball rally going against Holmes. Four singles, a sacrifice fly and a productive ground ball out saw the Rockies push three runs across the board in order to make things a bit interesting but at the same time, Atlanta responded almost immediately and got all but one of those runs back in the fifth inning. In contrast to what Colorado was doing, those two runs came on one swing after Money Mike swatted one to the Chop House to put Atlanta back in front by three runs.
Those three runs were the only runs that Colorado could push past Holmes while he was out there and the only other run that the Rockies could pick up came on a sacrifice fly from Willi Castro off of Ray Kerr in the seventh to bring us to the final score of 6-4. Victor Mederos and Raisel Iglesias both made sure that the score stayed at 6-4 and ensured that Atlanta got off to a winning start in this particular series.
The offense wasn’t as free-flowing as it was on Friday night, as both teams really had to scrap for the runs that were pushed across the plate on this particular evening. Martín Pérez once again delivered another productive start as he went 5.2 innings and struck out six, but the sixth inning ended up being the end of the road for Pérez after he ran into some two-out trouble. A single, a walk and a Willi Castro RBI single ended up moving Colorado into the lead in the sixth and chased Pérez from the game. Atlanta struggled through the sixth and the seventh as well, so it sure seemed like the Braves were on their way to a disappointing loss to Colorado.
Instead, some of that eighth-inning Truist Park magic once again came into play as the Braves started a two-out rally of their own at a crucial time. Two singles set the stage for Michael Harris II to once again come up huge, as he slapped one out into left-center. Not only did Cole Carigg not make the catch, he booted it deeper into the outfield and gave both Matt Olson and Mauricio Dubón enough time to score. Carigg really didn’t take the flub well, Didier Fuentes shut the door in the ninth inning and the Braves were able to celebrate a series win in dramatic fashion.
For the Rockies to have such a bad record, they definitely made made life tough for Atlanta over the course of this series. They came close to toppling the Braves on Saturday and hung with Atlanta in the latter portion of Sunday’s contest as well. The Braves got out to an early lead thanks to Sean Murphy launching one to his buddies in the home bullpen for solo shot and then Ronald Acuña Jr. followed it up with an RBI single to put the Braves into a 2-0 lead.
Tyler Mahle pitched six innings in this one and only gave up one run, which is something he’s turned into a habit since joining the Braves. However, those two runs that Atlanta scored in the third were all the help that Mahle got and the one-run lead that he left with was eventually turned into a deadlock in the eighth inning after Colorado deftly manufactured a run out of a leadoff single, two productive outs and a two-out single from Connor Norby. The Braves had already squandered some opportunities to add on and so this game ended up being destined for extra innings.
The tenth inning was pretty straight-forward. Victor Mederos pitched a clean tenth inning and then both Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson picked up singles to start (and end) the tenth inning. Olson’s single ended up being the walk-off knock and the Braves broke out the brooms for the first time since, well, this past Thursday. Sweet!
Hoo boy, the Braves have needed a run like this for a while. After having a rough and rocky run of games where they had won only five of 15 games in August, the Braves have gotten this month back on track with a much-needed seven-game winning streak. They came into August on a good run and assuming they can keep it going on Monday against the Giants, they’ll be entering September on a run.
They’ve just about recovered from that rough road trip through the Central Divisions by beating up on both the NL West’s leaders and cellar dwellers over the course of a week. It’s also fascinating to note how close these games have been — the largest margin for the Braves during this streak has been two runs. These games have been played on a razor’s edge and it could’ve gone either way. Instead, Atlanta has managed to take advantage of any good bounces that have come their way while managing to avoid toe usual pratfalls that were catching them off-guard during their rough run of form.
In fact, a lot of the games that the Braves lost while they were scuffling through August weren’t exactly blowouts, either. A lot of those losses were by one, two or three runs, so this month could very well have been a month where they’d really be preparing to deliver the knockout blow to the Phillies — and it still could end up going in that direction if the Braves can keep up the pace heading into next weekend’s series in Philadelphia. Instead, they still have a decent-sized advantage but this streak has served to stabilize things for Atlanta rather than serve as a devastating blow to their divisional rivals from Pennsylvania.
Anyways, this was a pretty big series win for the Braves. They did a great job of taking care of business and ensuring that there was no let down following a massive sweep over the Dodgers. They kept up the intensity against a Rockies squad that showed plenty of fight over the course of the three games. Fortunately, the hitting for Atlanta was timely enough and the pitching was stellar, as has been usual since the break. The pitching staff has continued to justify Alex Anthopoulos’s faith in this unit, with deadline acquisition Tyler Mahle continuing to be impressive and Martín Pérez continuing to come up big when he’s called upon.
Plain-and-simple, Atlanta’s trending in the right direction. They’re in possession of the second bye thanks to their efforts against the Dodgers and they’ve got a decent-sized gap between them and the Phillies in the standings. With the games getting more and more important, the Braves are putting themselves in a very good position with the home stretch looming. Let’s see this run of form continue!
